The instant invention relates to display apparatus for jewelry and more particularly to a novel jewelry display card and to a composite sheet comprising a plurality of display cards.
Jewelry display cards have been found to be highly effective devices for displaying various types of jewelry items, including earrings, pendants, and pins, in retail displays. In this connection, one of the most common types of heretofore available jewelry display cards has been made of plastic and has comprised a substantially flat planar card portion and a hanger portion which extends integrally rearwardly from the upper extremity of the card portion for suspending the card from a display rack. The card portion of a display card of this type has generally had a pair of apertures therethrough for securing a pair of jewelry items thereon with fastening elements, such as the pins or posts of the jewelry items, and in some cases the card portion has also had a decorative fabric or the like on the front side thereof for providing a background for the jewelry items. Display cards of this type have generally been found to be particularly effective for displaying jewelry items, such as pierced earrings, in retail displays. For applications of this type, a pair of earrings has normally been assembled on the card portion of a display card so that the posts of the earrings extend through the apertures, and clutches have been assembled with the posts on the rear side of the card. In many cases jewelry items, such as earrings, have been assembled with display cards by jewelry manufacturers before they have been shipped to distributors and/or retail outlets, and hence they have not only been utilized for displaying the jewelry items but also for maintaining items, such as earrings, in assembled pairs during shipping and handling. However, while display cards of the above described type have been found to be effective for both packaging and displaying jewelry items, they have also been found to be relatively expensive, and they have been found to represent a significant cost factor, particularly when utilized for displaying low-priced costume jewelry items. In addition, it has been found that it is inherently difficult to assemble display cards of the above described type in an orderly manner, and therefore it is has also been found that it is inherently difficult to maintain proper inventories of specific carded jewelry items after they have been comingled with other carded jewelry items.
The instant invention provides a noval and effective display card and composite sheet of display cards which effectively overcome many of the disadvantages of the heretofore available jewelry display cards. Specifically, the display card of the subject invention is preferably made of cardboard, and it can be simply and easily manufactured at a substantially reduced cost. Further, the display card is preferably integrally struck in a composite sheet comprising a plurality of display cards which are detachably secured in the composite sheet. This enables jewelry manufacturers to assemble jewelry items with the display cards while they are still on the composite sheet so that the display cards and the jewelry items are held in a neat and orderly assembled relation which is easily manageable by manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
The jewelry display card of the instant invention comprises integrally struck card and hanger portions, wherein the hanger portion comprises at least one hook element which is rearwardly bendable relative to the card portion for engaging a display stand positioned behind the card portion in order to support the display card from the stand. The card portion is preferably formed so that it has at least one aperture therethrough for receiving a pin-like fastening element of a jewelry item in order to secure the jewelry item on the display card. Further, the display card preferably includes at least one ear which is integrally struck in the card portion so that it is forwardly bendable relative thereto for receiving a jewelry item on the ear. In this regard, an ear of a display card of this type can be effectively utilized for receiving a non-pierced earring on the card, and by providing an aperture in the ear, it can also be utilized for receiving a pierced earring on the card. Preferably the display card of the instant invention comprises a pair of rearwardly bendable hook elements for securing it on a display stand and a pair of forwardly bendable ears for receiving a pair of earrings or the like on the display card. The composite sheet of the subject invention preferably comprises a plurality of display cards which are integrally struck in a single sheet so that they are attached to the sheet with score lines but nevertheless easily removable therefrom. The composite sheet is preferably constructed of carboard, and it preferably includes a plurality of the display cards which are integrally struck in the sheet and positioned in substantially aligned rows thereon.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a jewelry display card comprising integrally struck display card and hanger portions.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an effective inexpensive jewelry display card which can be integrally struck from cardboard.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a composite sheet comprising a plurality of integrally struck jewelry display cards.